Slow Grind

Frame is completely seperated and ready to be cleaned/sanded/scraped/sandblasted and painted.  The only items left on are the rear control arms.  I will have to take out the bushings for removal and this will require a modified tool.  I have experimented on several areas and it should go smooth.  I have cleaned the intake manifold and other misc parts.
The orignal carb is shot.  I might rebuild it later for re-sale, but I have purchased a Holley 4160 for replacement.  The 427 offered the same carb originally, but this one has some upgrades.
There will not be much to report as the frame is the priority.

Motor out and I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

The motor is on a stand and the only thing left before the end of the process is to disassemble the frame.  This should only take a full day of cursing, hammering, and grinding.  After that, it is time to start rebuilding. 

I have tested a few places on the frame, and I am confident it will not need any major repair.  The main concern is finding the best way to clean and protect the inside of the tube frame.  I have several great suggestions from the pro’s.

The white stuff on the motor is drywall, from the first idea I had of using the garage beams as support for the hoist.  I had to cut into the drywall to get to the joist, and decided this would not be a good idea.

Acorns everywhere!

I moved the frame outside and removed the transmission.  I sprayed the frame off for an initial cleaning and decided to run the hose down the access port in one side of the tube frame.  The front hole produced acorns for over 45 minutes.   The right side was just as bad.  I probably had 30 pounds of acorns in the frame!

After cleaning, I was able to get a better look at the rust and what needs to be done.  The rear cross bar is the only part of the frame I may have to replace.  It is rusted, but not through.  Although it is surface rust, it is pitted pretty bad.  Once I sandblast, it will be easier to tell if it is salvageable.  I hit it with a hammer and it sounded solid, did not dent or crack.  Inside looked good, with no rust flakes anywhere. 

The transmission came out with no problems.  It worked well prior to sitting and still shifts fine.  Just to make sure, it is going to a transmission shop for rebuild.  That is one item I am not prepared to take on myself.  Nothing brings out neighbors like an old car frame in the driveway!

Off and out of room

The body and the frame are now sitting side by side.  I opted to take the frame out from the side to allow for clearance.  The right rear mount is rusty and I did not want to put any more pressure on this point by raising the body any more.  I used a jack with wheels to pull the body out a little at a time.  I moved the stands to clear the frame and it slid out easily.  Once out, I added some supports to the body for storage.  I am working on adding a perminant stand for the body with wheels so I can move it around as needed. 

The frame looks very good.  All of the rust is surface rust and it will clean easily. 

The next few days will be a cleaning and re-organization of the garage again.  Having both the frame and the body in the garage takes up a lot of room.  (I did not plan on needing this much room)  With the motor going on a stand, there will be little room for anything else unless I clean and organize.

Just a little higher

The body is completely free from the frame, yet there are still problems to overcome.  The center of gravity is just behind the doors.  This makes lifing very difficult and slow.  The rear mounts are rusty and I do not trust them for points of lift.  I have placed 4X4 boards along the sides where the frame sat and these are the points of lift.  The body shifted many times lifting it this far and the stands are too short to get the body up enough to clear the frame.  I can move the frame out to the side, but that will create other problems.  I am switching jack stands and will probably use alternative stands for the body to rest on.  I can lift the rear of the body by hand, so weight is not an issue. 

 

 

I should have removed the transmission prior to lifting the body.  The drive shaft angles up as the transmission is at an angle with the motor not attached.  Currently, the body only needs to be raised another 5 inches to allow the frame to clear and be removed, but the body needs to be more sturdy befor I continue. 

Liftoff

The body is now up about 36 inches from the frame.  That is enough to pull the frame out and leave the body.  Working today on a body stand before I pull the frame out from underneath. 

The body came up easily.  I used a floor jack to slowly lift from the body bolts in the front and the back.  Once it was high enough to use blocks, I used the frame as a base.  The body is still lying on the frame, but is blocked on four points.  Once I have the stand ready, I will lift up another inch or so, slide it in, and then pull the frame. 

The transmission is still attached to the frame, which has created a little problem.  The speedometer cable-locking bolt is stripped.  I will have to take out the cable from behind the dash and feed it through the body.

The rear bumper bolts had to be cut to remove the bumper.  I have the bumper still attached with one bolt on each side, but I was able to slide the bumper down to clear the body.

I have started to mark the trunk pan for cutting away of what can't be saved.

Keep it clean!

Tonight was mainly a clean up the garage and organize night.  I shelved all of the boxes and parts not needed now and cleaned all of the tools.  It is amazing how small the garage seems after a few days work.  By organizing and cleaning every few days, parts will not get lost.

I did start working on the trunk.  I took out the tail lights, scraped, and cleaned out the trunk to inspect the rust damage.  It is not as bad as I thought, but it will take some work.

The tail lights cleaned up very nice.  Looks like the chrome will buff with a lot of work.  A little pitting can be found on the deep chrome, but not enough to replace. 

 
I measured the carpet and photographed it in case it is needed in the future.  Replacement front carpet does not include the hard rubber scuff padding, so this might be saved and attached to the new.  The search continues for a gas tank.  Looks like the 67 tank may or may not work.  I have contacted someone with one for dimensions to check. 

Gas tank may be beyond repair.

The gas tank is off.  Even though it has always leaked, I have never taken it off.  Now I know why.  It has rubbed against the body at the top causing a hole.  That hole means the gas tank has gotten water in it over the past few years and is rusted inside.  When I cleaned out the little gas (or what used to be gas) inside, it leaks all over now.  The search is on for a new gas tank.  Unfortunately, I am finding that the 1965 convertible had a unique tank.  Plenty available for the 66 and the 64, including plastic/new material.  It does look like the F47A tank from a 1967 will work with a new sending unit and straps.  Add another part to the list.

Body bolts are out

The body bolts are out or cut off.  You can see broken cut-off wheels in the photograph.  Not an easy task.  I am ready to lift it up when I have time.  I found the original convertible boot and it is not too bad, but may not be salvageable.  The bag the boot is stored in is in excellent condition.  The lower trunk pans are worse than I originally thought and I might need to replace just the side pans, but might have to replace the entire pan. 

The trunk lid around the rim below the seal is rusted and will need repaired.  I have been sanding the interior just to check and they clean up very nice.

I found a picture from 1987

Interior shell ready for body lift - after the last two body bolts.

The interior is now a shell.  Seats chrome, and all trim is out.  The floor pans are still solid with little surface rust.  I have all of the body bolts out except the two I am slowly grinding away. 

The engine is now sitting free and is ready to be hoisted to the stand.  The transmission is loose and ready to be hoisted after the body is off.  I am going to wait until the body is off to carefully remove the convertible top and start the process of cleaning it. 

The trunk is another story.  Looks like most of the bottom pan is rusted and there are many holes.  I have saved all of the original carpet, although it is not in good shape.  This may be handy later to ensure the replacement is a proper fit.

I have started cleaning the door panels.  No rips and it is cleaning nicely.  The seats are in good condition, although the rear seat is thin and starting to rip.  The padding is all gone and will need replaced.

I hope that the body will be off in the next few days and I can start removing the gas tank that needs repaired.  It always leaked gas above a half tank. 

Several items were found under the carpet including, my graduation tassel, about 40 cents in change ranging from 1967 to 1999, and the original cigarette lighter in mint condition.